Morning Quickies - Landmark and Co.

When I was working at the Henley, I was eating the macaroni/noodle/congee breakfast sets from the CKC building almost every single day - another factor that contributed to my rapid weight gain. On other days, I liked to grab food from the places below.

Yummy (<$25): It's slightly further away from Henley especially in the morning, but I think their breakfasts are totally worth the walk. I usually go for this when I arrive in Central early (i.e. 8:15am - boy do I miss 9am starts). My favorite is their faux siu mais (fish meat siu mai), which are the best I've ever had in HK (my ex-colleagues really liked them too so.. yah!). On my hungrier days I would go for their congee as well making it a set. Their cheung fun / rice rolls aren't bad either but I guess they just really aren't my thing.

Location: Chiu Lung Street (can enter alley through Queen's Road Central by the McDonalds and Calvin Klein)

Sun Hing (<$25): It's somewhat across from Yummy and next to the 7-11 on Chiu Long Street. They have very good satay beef sandwiches, sweet/spicy/sour noodles (I know, it's heavy in the morning but... great for if you have a slight hangover from the night before), and pan fried turnip cake.

Location: Chiu Lung Street (can enter alley through Queen's Road Central by the McDonalds and Calvin Klein)

Urban Bakery (<$20): Croissants, their croissants are oh so very good. Very close to Henley too so it's fantastic.

Location: 4th (?) floor of the Landmark where 360 used to be. Man I miss 360.

Simply Life (<$20): yes they do have sandwiches for under $20, the only problem is it doesn't really fill me up. The cheese they use is really good though so... that is why I get it sometimes.

Location: Landmark basement near the Fuel.

HH: IFC Deals

I think I always had the misconception that IFC is one of the most baller shopping malls alongside with Pacific Place and Elements, and that good deals would be non-existent. Anyway, I was wrong. IFC actually has fantastic ghetto places like McDonalds, TWO Café deCorals (not to be confused with Café Too at the Shangri-La - AYO!), and my favorite, Maxim fast food. Unlike Pacific Place where I used to work, IFC didn't boot McDonalds out of the mall to preserve its "classiness".

Other than these ghetto food spots, IFC also has a couple of awesome happy hour deals, which is extra awesome if you work here.

Gogyo: By day they are a ramen place, and by night... guess what they are? also a ramen place, but with a buy one get one free happy hour deal until 8pm. I'm not crazy about their cocktails so usually I go for their wine, sake or beer instead. The staff aren't the happiest people on earth but I like to go there since it's super dead at 5:30pm so it's not weird at all to bring a book there to read while waiting for my friends to get off work. Recently I also discovered that they do give out fried chicken skin to their "regular" customers so... that shall be a status I will obtain hopefully sometime in the near future. Can't find this place? because it's a bit hidden. It's on the same floor Tasty Congee, near Fuel and IFC One... and the Watson's Wine Cellar.

French Window: In terms of value, I think French Window and Gogyo come in quite even. French Window has a happy hour drinks menu that's around $40/drink also until 8pm. The vibe is less relaxed compared to Gogyo, get's packed by around 6:30-7pm, and is often booked by companies for private events. I've gone to Gogyo instead at least twice because of these private events (sneaking in didn't work). I've heard that their food is not bad either, but I usually just munch on their popcorn because I am cheap and usually have dinner plans after already.

Blue Bar @ Four Seasons: Is this a good deal? I would say that is quite a controversial subject. The drinks are not cheap, but are interesting and worth it in my opinion. However, as you know, I am cheap, so unless it's a life changing cocktail I wouldn't pay ~$200 for a drink. The only "life changing" cocktail I've had is from Sohofama, but that's based purely on my personal preference. Ok, so what's bringing me back to Blue Bar repeatedly? The FREE GOOD FOOD. I've seen them put xiao long bao, siu mai, satay, chicken wings, ox tongue, nachos and guacamole, sandwiches, assorted veggies with dip on the buffet. Unlike Taz, you don't have to sprint to get the good food. I can't tell if it's because the staff are extremely attentive in refilling, or if it's because the people who go to Blue Bar are too classy (sans me and my crew) to fight over free food. Anyway, it's a great deal and the atmosphere is nice so it does get packed early. You should be there by 5:30pm to grab a table. I've gone at 5:45pm before on a Thu/Fri and it was packed already... hotel guests! Oh yes speaking of hotel guests, they give out $500 vouchers for some guests so... I guess that's why they get packed so early? Anyway, if it's packed you can try leaving your name with them and head to another bar in the mean time. Otherwise what I did once was go to their poolside bar (crappy cocktails, no deals, awesome view) instead which looks amazing at night time. Wouldn't have found the place if Blue Bar wasn't packed that day!

Beer Bay: This actually isn't in IFC, but by the Discovery Bay pier. I've only been there once but they seem to have a variety of beer available at below $40. It's basically just a beer stand outdoors, so I can imagine it being too hot to hang out in during the summer. They have a skewer stand right next to it which I'm actually more curious about and hope to check out one day.

... oh and Happy Lunar New Year!

Ozawa 小澤

Had a whole post drafted for California Vintage but deleted the whole thing after going there on Monday. Their lunch sets are now so generic that there is no longer a point in going there, for me at least. Sigh, I guess that's the thing about Hong Kong, things change, FAST. If you know about a good lunch deal, you got to write about it before it's morphed into another generic piece of ______!

With that said, I would like to introduce Ozawa to you before it turns... sour. This is a small Japanese restaurant on Graham Street next to The Globe and Chilli Fagara, introduced to me by one of my colleagues. They have a really good lunch deal which is $100 for your choice of 3 sashimi on rice / rolls / sushi / tempura / gyoza etc etc. There are probably close to 30 things you can choose from so it's one of those places where you can keep going back to until you discover your magical combo that works best for you.

Given the price, you can imagine that there won't be things like uni or toro on the menu, but then again if you are on this blog I'd sure hope those aren't the things you are looking for at LUNCH. Save your baller moments for other times... Anyway, for $100, I think their sashimi is quite fresh (I'm pretending I know what that really means). I have no standards so maybe this would be a better point of reference - my colleagues find their sashimi quite fresh, so for $100 it really is a steal.

I have yet to discover my magical combo, but I think I really like the following:

• diced sashimi on rice (like... chirashi?)
• spicy salmon roll
• minced salmon with spring onion on rice

I've tried the following as well which were not bad:

• unagi on rice
• unagi/cucumber rolls
• spicy scallop on rice
• scallop sushi
• tempura

I must stress that you will HAVE to book a table in advance, because this place is very very small. So small that they can only have one server working, which is why you can imagine how (not) happy she is manning all these tables at once. She is quite rude but can be ok after you get used to it =D At night time I am thinking their menu would be pricier, but I have no idea how much pricier so... go for it if you would like.

Spicy scallop, minced salmon with spring onion and diced sashimi on rice, oh and a miso soup! It might look small but trust me, 3 bowls of rice will fill you up even if it's just a small bowl! You even get a small scoop of ice cream (flavor changes every... day I think). So far I think sesame was their best flavor.

Website: NA
Location: Shop C, G/F, 49 Graham Street, Central









HH: Taz + Wagyu Lounge

Ever since I started working, I've preferred happy hour over regular late night drinking. There is something liberating about finally being off work and having a drink with your friends or colleagues, or in the rare case, yourself :) Plus, you are already out so there is no getting ready to go out factor. For me it's extremely tough to go out on Saturday nights because there simply just isn't enough "momentum". I'm either coming from home which means I got to change and take a 45 minute bus ride out, or I am coming from my sister's place which is still about 30 minutes away from Central. In the latter case I am also usually suffering from food coma since I like to stuff my face when I'm eating at my sisters. Fun fact, did you know that you eat more as you are dining with more people? The amount of food you eat is correlated to how many people you are eating with. In other words, if you would like to eat less, it's a good idea to dine solo.

Back to the topic, I'm trying to think of the place that got me excited about the idea of happy hour. It was either Taz or Wagyu Lounge, so why don't I just talk about them both today.

Taz (Tasmania Ballroom)

• The deal is buy one get one free from their happy hour menu from 6-8pm. I usually get the Riesling which is around $100. Beers are around $70-80 I believe, so when you divide that by 2 I would say that's a pretty awesome deal. The best part about this deal is that is comes with FREE FOOD. Free good food. They have dimsum, sometimes sushi, and some other delicious items on the buffet that is totally worth going for. Added bonus: they have ping pong and pool tables if you're interested.
• Location: In the LKF Hotel... second or third floor? anyway, not hard to figure out once you are in the elevator or on Wyndham Street
• Downsides: given the awesome deal you can imagine that the place get's packed by around 7pm. Next "problem" is the crowd. I'm not a fan of hardcore bankers, and this place is usually in excess of this population. Also, you've got to be super quick to the ha gao and siu mai, otherwise it's usually all gone by the time they are on the buffet!
• http://www.tazmaniaballroom.com/main.html#/philosophy

Wagyu Lounge

• Last time I was there, the happy hour menu had drinks for around $30-40. Food menu was mostly below $50 for amazing mini burgers and hot wings. I like the vibe there since there is much less hardcore bankers there and the crowd is much more chillaxed than Taz.
• Location: LG/F, Hollywood Commercial House, 3-5 Old Bailey Street, Central, Hong Kong (next to the Flying Pan)
• Downside: Oh! there are quite a bit! First of, the deal is only until 7pm. Second of all, it's hella far for most people working near the Landmark area. It's far even for those in the IFC area. Third of all, they keep bumping up their prices! I get that rent prices are rising... but seriously...?
• http://www.casteloconcepts.com/our-venues/wagyu-lounge/wagyu-lounge-hong-kong-menus?locations/hong-kong/wagyu-lounge-hong-kong/wagyu-lounge-hong-kong-menus

Shugetsu 周月

I 've never been a fan of soupy ramen, though I love almost any other kind of soupy noodles. I am talking about actual ramen and not instant noodles. It irritates me when people call instant noodles ramen. Dude, stop trying to "class it up", it's just gong zai mien. Anyway, it's something about the texture that I don't like. Japanese and Shanghainese ramen both have that consistency. Anyway, so naturally when S suggested Shugetsu to me I was like fo realz? Ok fine, I will try it, since even though I am not a super fan of ramen, it's not like I am allergic to it or hate it.

Anyway, with skepticism we got there and luckily we got a seat. S explained that this is not a soup ramen, but a "dip" ramen, where the ramen is served dry on the side and you have to dip it into the sauce to eat.

When you order this, they will ask you a couple of questions which has no affect on the cost.

1. how many grams of noodles would you like? 100 / 200 / 300
2. would you like your noodles cold or hot?
3. would you like the sauce (soup) to be light or strong in flavor?
4. would you like the sauce (soup) to be less greasy?

My answers:

1. 200 grams. I have tried 300 grams before but it was just way too much. Even for me.
2. cold - I think this makes the noodles more chewy which is how I like it
3. strong - I've never tried the light
4. less greasy... which is already quite greasy. Plus why would anyone want extra grease? Doesn't add to the flavor

I never thought I would like ramen but Shugetsu sealed the deal for me. I guess the reason is because their ramen is more like udon than ramen, and I love udon. There is just the sufficient amount of pork in the sauce, and of course don't forget the egg on the noodles. Price used to be $85, but today they finally jacked it up to $97! Oh well, I still really like them so I will let this slide.

A lot of people think I am a foodie, but really I am starting to think that S is the real foodie. I can't recall any one of her recommendations disappointing me. The cheese and the chocolate chip cookies from Mark and Spencers, the croissants from Urban Bakery, Shugetsu. S - you've got excellent taste.

Location: Gough Street by the Kau Kee Beef Briskets.
Website: http://www.shugetsu.com.hk/

Morning Quickies - IFC

I am talking about breakfasts. If after work drinks are called happy hours, should morning pre-work breakfasts be called sad hours? Skip the next paragraph to get to the actual food part.

Though I am not a morning person, I have a special fascination with breakfasts. I guess it's a treat to myself for yet waking up on time and making it to work for another day, or a celebration on a day off that I woke up early and have earned myself some extra hours to do something random for the day. I have to admit that I am getting old, and that I no longer sleep in till 2 or 3pm on days off. 12pm has been the latest, and that it really quite early for me because seriously, 2/3pm was the norm for me. Biologically I probably don't need to sleep that much anymore, and mentally as I am getting older, there is more I want to get to during the day instead of sleeping through it (e.g. cooking, eating, cleaning, boxing, errands etc etc).

Anyway, on my well behaved days my breakfast consists of a boiled egg brought from home (made the night before) and a herbalife milkshake. On my non-behaving days or colder days, I like to go with one of the below.

Listed in order of how often I visit them, with the first being the most frequent.

Maxim ($23.5): Maxim fast food has replaced Café de Coral's place in my heart, because their staff is much nicer and their food is quite good. I usually like to get the A2 meal, which has a macaroni in soup, ham and egg, toast or turnip cake (in HK, apparently these things are interchangeable), and a drink. I really like this on cold mornings, and it reminds me of the good old days when mom made me breakfast every morning. Other times, I get the set with 2 eggs with ham/BACON/wieners with toast and a drink. Good for days when I don't want to behave but still kinda want to be good. Their coffee is also very good for some reason.... like unusually good. Not a big fan of their congee and noodles as it's tasteless compared to de Coral.

Location: Hong Kong Station, near the exit for IFC 2

McDonalds (<$30): Need I say more? always a good morning breakfast for days when you feel like crap. I alternate between the sausage and egg mcmuffin meal and the pork bone soup pasta meal.

Location: P2 level if you are taking the elevators from the Airport Express area, closer to IFC 1 area.

Hung Fook Tong  ($10): good for super quickies since everything is pre-made here. Their $10 menu includes: faux siu mai (fish meat siu mai), beef siu mai (new item!), chao zhou dumplings, and meat and veggie buns. They also have fried noodles which I've never tried and not sure how much they cost. Maybe I can try it next time.

Location: Hong Kong Station, near the exit for IFC 2 (near the Maxim fast food)

Arome Bakery (<$20): another good place for super quickies as they have a variety of the typical HK bakery items as well as pre-made Hong Kong style sandwiches. I've tried their ham and egg sandwich which was only $14 (much cheaper than Maxim bakery which charges $17 or 18 on Theatre Lane). You can make it a set and get a coffee with it as well which I have yet to try since coffee is free in the office.

Location: Hong Kong Station, near the exit for IFC 2 (next to the Hung Fook Tong)

Starbucks (<$20): I really like their toasted bagel with cream cheese which has gone from $13 six years ago to around $17 or $18 today. I only go for this on very very rare mornings since I try to avoid an overdose of carbs in the morning making me sleepy for the rest of the day.

Location: they are everywhere.... Airport Express check-in, One Exchange Square, and I think second floor of IFC near the Senryo and new juice place.

I'll get to the Landmark area next. I find that area much more interesting for breakfasts.

Dan Dan - Soul Food from Sichuan

Did you know that soul food means bla-I mean "African American" food? Anyway, I am not American so I don't know. This place caught my attention because I like spice (in case it wasn't already obvious from my previous posts). It looked interesting but the cartoon logo kinda put me off because it seemed... how do I say it... less legit? Like it won't really be authentic in my opinion. In any case, I ended up trying it on one of my solo lunch days after talking about it for so long.

I got there around 12pm to beat the rush and it was a good choice as it started filling up pretty soon after. Got the Classic Dan Dan Noodle set with seaweed and the tea. I think I got the regular spice and it was ok, but I could see how it can be quite spicy for some people.

• Classic Dan Dan Pull Noodles ($55): I liked the taste but can go for the spiciest (extra spice) next time. Please try to dine in instead or take out because it actually tastes much better there as they don't separate the soup when you get it to go.
• Tofu slices ($30): I was really looking forward to it as it was raved about on several reviews that I came across. I love peanut sauce but their sauce was too thick that it was basically gooey. I think if the sauce was thinner, less sweet, more spicy, it would be fantastic.
• Seaweed side dish (came w/meal): didn't enjoy the taste
• The tea (came w/meal): nothing special to be honest. I don't get why people were raving about it on their reviews

In summary.... I don't think the set (~$70) is really worth it because the side dish is very small and the drink is very normal. I would rather get an a la carte menu and try another side dish (I really want to try the pork ear slices) and just drink something when I am back in the office (where I have an awesome selection of free drinks).

Location: 181 Queen's Road Central,  Grand Millennium Plaza (near the Jenny's Bakery)
Website: http://www.dandanhk.com/